Nestle can No Longer Claim Nesquik is “a Great Start to the Day”
by Julie Fidler, Natural Society:
The United Kingdom isn’t messin’ around when it comes to false advertising and food company claims. Earlier this month, the iconic Nesquik bunny took a kick to the cottontail when the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Agency forced Nestle, the product’s maker, to remove its claim that the beverage is “a great start to the day.”
The agency upheld a claim by the Children’s Food Campaign that claimed the tagline encouraged poor nutritional habits in children.
The advertising watchdog is right, too. A 200-milliliter drink made with 3 teaspoons of Nesquik hot chocolate is packed with 20.2 grams of sugar, and Nestle acknowledges it.
“Because the product was high in added sugar, we considered that the suggestion that Nesquik was a suitable regular breakfast option for children encouraged poor nutritional habits in children,” said the lobbying group. [1]
But Nestle argues that most of the sugar in Nesquik comes from lactose, which occurs in milk. The company adds that the instant beverage contains added vitamin C and D, zinc, and iron. [2]
A Nestle UK spokesman said:
“The advert for Nesquik Hot Chocolate shown on the label of a family-sized bottle of milk was undoubtedly targeted at adults who were shopping for their family, making it clear that the product should be consumed over a number of days, rather than in excess.
